Mumbai: A special MCOCA court in Mumbai on Wednesday, February 11, remanded all five accused to police custody in connection with the firing incident that took place outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s Juhu residence, until February 17.
In the firing case, police told the special court that absconding accused Shubham Lonkar allegedly plotted to create terror, transferred Rs 40,000, and supplied weapons through his brother.
While speaking to reporters, Defence advocate Ajinkya Mirgal said that MCOCA has been added today. The police said in the court that the weapon recovered from accused number one, Sakat, was given to him by Praveen Lonkar, who is involved in the Baba Siddique murder case and has been in jail for one and a half years. "So, we simply stated that he has been in jail for a year and a half. When and how did he get the weapon? This possibility seems a little doubtful to us," Mirgal added.
The Mumbai Crime Branch sought a 15-day custody from the court, but the court did not grant it and sent them to police custody till February 17.
This extension came after the Esplanade court in Mumbai on February 5 sent all five accused arrested till February 11. The fifth accused, Asaram Phasale (42), was arrested in Pune on February 5. All five accused arrested in the case are Swapnil Bandu Sakat (23), Siddharth Deepak Yenpure (19), Samarth Shivsharan Pomaji (19), Aditya Gyaneshwar Gayaki (19), and Asharam Fasle (45).
At least five rounds were fired at the first floor of the filmmakers' building at around 12.45 am on Sunday, of which one bullet struck the glass of a gym. The firing took place in the early hours of January 31 ata round 12.45 am. Although no injuries were reported, the incident prompted immediate action by the Mumbai Crime Branch.
Earlier, police sources revealed that on January 20, the accused Siddharth Yenpure and Samarth allegedly brought a two-wheeler to Mumbai from Pune and parked a Honda Dio scooter outside Vile Parle railway station for the shooter. The suspected shooter, a native of Bihar, along with four to five associates, had stayed in Mumbai and allegedly conducted reconnaissance of Shetty’s house three to four times before the incident. During the probe, police recovered a pistol, three magazines and an air gun from the accused Swapnil Sakat.
Mumbai Police Invokes MCOCA
The 5 accused involved in the Rohit Shetty firing case have been slapped with MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999). The Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (Mah. 30/1999) is a law enacted by the state of Maharashtra in India in 1999 to combat organised crime and terrorism.
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